Blue Jeans Love
Summer is ending, the weather is cooling, and my wardrobe is changing. It's just about time to break out my good old blue jeans. I, like nearly every other girl my age, love jeans. And for that matter, not just girls or people my age love jeans - but everyone loves jeans. When my uncle was in Russia in the 1970s, a man tried to buy the jeans he was wearing off of him. However, Americans' love for jeans tops all.
 |
| JEAN HEAVEN |
Why is that, you ask? Well, there are a few different theories. One theory is that jeans are a symbol of hard work. Miners and other physical laborers traditionally wore jeans while they were out working (history of jeans) and as Americans we are proud of our hard work. Another theory is that jeans are useful. We have developed a notion that jeans match anything. Furthermore, jeans are quite versatile: they can be dressy enough to wear on the red carpet, or casual enough for cleaning your own carpet. Jeans can be shorts, jeans can be pants, and they can be worn year round. Every person, despite age and size differences, can find jeans that fit. Some options that make them so lovable are multi-button front closure, zippers, elastic waists for the older generation or the pregnant, jeggings (jean leggings) for those who love their comfort, and pockets galore. My favorite jeans are skinny jeans from Nordstrom that I can tuck into boots or wear with ballet flats or sandals. Lastly, they are always a great buy because they are so durable and even if they get rips or holes, you can pass them off as distressed, which is now a jean style in its own right.
Now it's time to deal with the designer jeans issue. Designer jeans are a symbol of status. One way to tell if jeans are designer jeans is by the stitching on the rear pockets. Different stitching designs are easily recognizable to jean lovers but they are not flashy, which gives off the message of wealth without the need to show it off. Personally, I don't think that designer jeans are worth $200, which is how much some cost. After trying on a pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans two years ago, I fell in love with the soft, rich color and promptly splurged for them. Two days later, while wearing them during a very mild hike in a nearby forest preserve, they ripped on the left leg from a tree branch just barely brushing them. I have had my favorite Nordstrom jeans for almost a year, though, and they aren't even fraying at the leg.
Jeans are a very American thing, but in my opinion designer jeans are not because they do not represent many of the American values listed above. My question for you now is: why do designers want to make jeans, which traditionally have been so ordinary, into something so extraordinary? With that being said, tomorrow is going to be cold, so enjoy your jeans.
I think designers make designer jeans so that they can make their product seem special. One of the number one priorities on Americans' lists is to make money. For designer jean companies, making jeans into something special, or extraordinary, is the ticket to money, which then equals success. If you think about it, when you are offered a generic brand of something, and a brand name product, generally the brand name is picked because it's more exciting. That's the same case with designer jeans. Although they do not fit the American values themselves, the motivation that's behind them definitely fits American values in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteNaomi,
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea for a post. I wish you had spent a little less time on the types of jeans available and more on the enduring legacy of jeans and the image they convey. You might have offered your own answer to the final question.
Additionally, this emphasis on the status conferred upon the wearer in our own school might be fascinating look at how we as Americans divide ourselves into groups.
I missed the "the American values listed above" -- where exactly was this?